Blog - Anne Renwick

The Bone Wars

In my upcoming book, A WHISPER OF BONE, mention of real historical individuals and locations will surface. Charlotte works for none other than O.C. Marsh, founder of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale. Also mentioned is Edward Drinker Cope, of the Academy...

Five Phylums of Salad?

The other day, I was struck by something I read online. A poster commented that the menu categories “salad and plant-based salad” had given him pause. I too paused as my mind also immediately envisioned the “green leaf” kind of salad, but then my brain began...

How to Build a Snake Skeleton

When I was diving deep into research for VENOMOUS SECRETS, I studied a lot of lamia images on the internet. Most were women from the waist up, snakes from the waist down. And because my books delve into biology, both real and not-quite-so-real, you know I started...

Holywell Street

In VENOMOUS SECRETS we first encounter Cait on a mission to retrieve a serpent located above a bookshop on Holywell Street – in an old section of London that no longer exists.

Antibodies and Antivenom

Anne Renwick discusses the immune system and how it reacts to snake venom, the inspiration behind the creation of Cait’s character and how she becomes the heroine of VENOMOUS SECRETS.

That Sexy Groove

It’s in so many romance novels. Mine included. But what is that sexy groove that runs from the hips across the pelvis, disappearing beneath the waistband and directing so many eyes to the groin?

Hands-Free Tea Pouring

Anne attempts to pour tea without using her hands.

Read for FREE on a Library App

The Elemental Steampunk World books are available to all libraries via the Overdrive App.

Elemental Bones

Bones. Far from static objects. In this podcast, Anne discusses aspects of bone physiology that made their way into THE SILVER SKULL.

Getting Medieval

Are researchers really mining medieval texts for ideas they can apply to modern medicine? Yes they are! Listen to Anne Renwick speak about the current efforts that inspired Evie’s character and work in A SNOWFLAKE AT MIDNIGHT.

Medical Mistletoe

Mistletoe, it’s not just for kisses! Is it poisonous? At a low dose, can mistletoe be used as a medicine?

Ye Olde Mincemeat

Author Anne Renwick takes to her kitchen researching the traditional mincemeat pie.

Lost Rivers of London

Anne Renwick tells the story of how the Effra, one of London’s lost rivers, came to play a key role in THE GOLDEN SPIDER.

Greek and Latin

Where do all those strange words come from? Anne Renwick discusses how she often uses Greek and Latin roots to name her various contraptions.

Bioluminescence

Anne Renwick discusses bioluminescence (with a brief detour to fluorescence), her hands-on experience with it, and how it illuminates the dark nights in The Elemental Steampunk World.

An Origin Story Supplemental Video

A bonus video using a teaching skeleton to show the anatomical locations of the skeletal features discussed in An Origin Story.

Key City Steampunk 2019

Photos from Key City Steampunk 2019. Don’t miss Simon’s adventures!

Curried Pteryform Salad

Pteryform. A gastronomic delicacy sold on the black market. So what does a pteryform meat taste like?

A Fluffy Post

A post in which Anne Renwick introduces the fluffy members of her household: Darwin, Tesla and Lady Elizabeth.

Glasgow: Hop on, Hop off

We took the City Sightseeing Glasgow Open Top Bus Tour on our first full day in Scotland. It was cold and drizzling, as we’d expected, but that didn’t keep us from climbing to the open top to view the city.

Cranial Nerves 101

The curiosities of Cranial Nerves explained in a light and fun manner.

Sacred Wells

Stories of ancient wells and springs have long captured my attention, so when a rogue frog on the loose in a small village of Wales became the focus of A Trace of Copper, I seized upon the opportunity to include one in my story. Where better for such a creature to make itself a home?

German Longsword

Is Anne holding a sword? Yes, she is! I’ll bet some of you aren’t all that surprised, particularly those of you who’ve read In Pursuit of Dragons. It’s true, I’ve eyed the beautiful swords hanging on various walls for years now.

An Interview with Bec McMaster

I reached out to none other than Bec McMaster, taking shameless advantage of her latest release of TO CATCH A ROGUE, and asked her a few questions.

Rust and Steam Exclusive

Lady Alice Hemsworth wasn’t supposed to fall in love. It was her duty not to. Alas, she’d failed miserably. Mr. Benjamin Leighton—despite being turned away by her steam butler—can’t stop thinking about her. Alone, both are miserable—until a deadly encounter throws them together on the night train to London.

On Location – In Pursuit of Dragons

Anne Renwick takes you on location of her book, In Pursuit of Dragons, to Doune Castle lies northwest of Edinburgh in Stirlingshire.

The Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Take a gWhat about the Isle of Lewis? While writing THE IRON FIN, I’d spent SO much time on Google, looking, reading about the place both now and in times long past that I couldn’t wait to see it with my own eyes.limpse at some sights on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, where Anne set parts of her story, The Iron Fin.

Anne’s Steampunk Side Table

When I needed a small side table in my office to place beside my chair (to hold coffee/tea and cats), I decided to try making one of those awesome black steel steampunk tables that are everywhere on the internet.

A TRACE OF COPPER: An Interview with Rajendrani

Piyali stepped into A Trace of Copper already strong-willed and determined. A woman who doesn’t put up with any nonsense, a woman who Gets Things Done. All characteristics she shares with my friend. So one night over a glass of wine, I said, “I’ve this idea for a character… will you help?”

Reviews

Anne Renwick Book Reviews

The Dark Soul Martini

With everything turning up red, white and pink in February, some might prefer a darker tone. To that effect, I present The Dark Soul Martini, an alternative drink for the month.

Unraveling Welsh

Why is A Trace of Copper set in Wales? Because it’s one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited. It’s been years, and I still can’t stop thinking about it.

That Log Does What?

Barcelona. It’s a beautiful old city with amazing architecture. But one of the things we found fascinating is an odd Christmas tradition they have. A pooping log.

Department of Cryptobiology

Join steampunk romance author Anne Renwick in her closed Facebook group, the Department of Cryptobiology, where she chats with all her readers.

Magical Wales

It’s no real surprise that I’ve set a story in Wales, one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited. Though I spent a mere three days in the country, I’ve never been able to forget it.

Sock Mitosis

Sock Mitosis. This year, my teenager is taking AP Biology. Though he took Biology in 9th grade, he’s forgotten a lot of the details. Including the differences between mitosis and meiosis. Yes, I quizzed him. I’m evil that way.

Sock Meiosis

On to MEIOSIS. This is where things start to get messy. Like a teenage boy showed up and threw a week’s worth of socks all over his room… but I digress.

Characters on the Couch

Character on the Couch: An interview with Anne Renwick’s Lady Olivia

How To Stick a Man To the Wall

When we examine the pelvis (comprised of two ilia, the sacrum and the coccyx), questions about differences between men and women always arise. Can you tell the difference simply by looking at the bone structure?

Meet the Plotmonkeys!

Meet the Plotmonkeys: Writers and friends who keep me sane, make me laugh until I cry and help me beat my plots into something intelligible.

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is a way of taking today’s technology and re-imagining it through the eyes of the Victorians, a time defined by rapid medical, scientific and technological progress.

A Model Double-Beam Engine

A Model Double-Beam Engine made by Benjamin Hick, Bolton, 1840

Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie: Laboratory Edition

Interview at Coffee Time Romance

Heather Massey: Steampunk Cafe at Coffee Time Romance!

Alcohol Dehydrogenase or Don’t Bet on the Woman

Women, compared to men, produce significantly less gastric alcohol dehydrogenase. In other words, we women have less of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol in our stomachs.

Penny-farthings

There is only one penny-farthing, high wheel bike race in the U.S.A. and it takes place in Fredrick, Maryland.

Birth Control Pills Can Do What?

Birth Control Pills Can Do What? They can alter a woman’s sense of smell, potentially causing her to screw up when choosing Mr. Right.

A Grammar Gripe: Affect vs. Effect

The topic: grammar, spelling and nerves. Not only did I expect my students to be on top of their anatomy and physiology when they handed in written reports, I even went so far as to correct their spelling. Particularly after we’d finished studying nerves.

Don’t Poke Your Eye Out

In this article we’re going to conduct a laboratory experiment. All you need is your finger and your eye. And when we’re done, you’ll have yet another fun anatomy and physiology fact filed away.

Trust No One. Assume Nothing.

In the fall of 2015, my family visited the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. The experience begins when they lock you in a room and you choose your cover identity. You have minutes to prepare. Memorize your name, your age, your hometown, where...

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